A Charming Invitation
by archsage328
Summary: Just what is the world of Darkstalkers? A simple tribute to the Darkstalkers series in the form of free verse poetry.


Disclaimer: I don't own Darkstalkers. But if the behavior of the current owners over the last few years is anything to go by, the people who do have the rights to the series at the moment are a bunch of morons who don't deserve that privilege.

* * *

A Charming Invitation

Would you like to see a world so unlike  
Anything you have ever known before?  
A realm where ghost stories woo fairy tales  
And their offspring run amok  
I offer free passage into this fascinating land  
For those who accept this invitation.

Here you will find many incredible sights,  
Experiences you will never find back home.  
Werewolves who train in martial arts,  
Catwomen who perform on stage and go to church.  
Perhaps you'll meet the banana-loving yeti,  
Or a zombie rocking out on electric guitar.  
Maybe you'll even discover in a pyramid,  
A sleeping robot as old as the dinosaurs.  
All of this and more will be within your reach  
Should you accept this invitation.

Potential visitors such as yourself, however,  
Should know some general guidelines.  
Show kindness to the lightning giant  
For this child just lost his father.  
Pay attention to your surroundings,  
And don't litter in the river.  
The champion of fishmen, proud of water's elegance,  
Will ensure that no offending air breather is spared.  
But do not let this deter you  
From accepting this invitation.

Bow respectfully before the bandaged pharaoh,  
Or you'll face the mummy god's wrath.  
Avoid any roads where the ground is soaked in blood,  
All of which will lead to a samurai bathed in the newly departed.  
And beware beautiful bees with human heads,  
For behind the illusion of a pretty face,  
A giant mouth waits eagerly  
For the chance to swallow your soul.  
Keep all these risks at the front of your mind  
If you dare accept this invitation.

A succubus with a divided soul,  
Each half with a mind of its own.  
One is to inherit a demon's throne,  
The other longs to return home.  
But soon will their position be threatened,  
As an arrogant vampire returns from exile.  
A century has passed since he challenged his king,  
Yet this disgraced noble's thirst for a crown remains.  
And even then, greater dangers still await anyone  
Who chooses to accept this invitation.

As a crimson streak darts across the sky,  
Know that a living comet approaches,  
A cosmic being has come to feast  
On this dark and beautiful planet.  
But should you seek salvation and you house a worthy soul,  
A savior, solemn and clad in black, will offer you release.  
Not only will he protect you from destruction and despair,  
He'll relieve you of the heavy burden of individuality.  
Though if neither fate seems appealing to you,  
You need not fear accepting this invitation.

There are many allies here for you to find,  
All fierce fighters empowered by a purpose.  
The sorceress twins are a friendly pair,  
Though their story is quite sad.  
These brave sisters gave up their humanity and obtained the undead's might,  
So that they may have a chance at freeing the soul of their lost mother.  
Feel free to travel beside the wandering monk,  
Who few can match in strength and conviction.  
But even he may one day fall helplessly  
In the wake of his own cursed blood.  
Along the way, you may encounter a little girl  
With blonde hair, a red hood, and a large picnic basket.  
Many demons fear the young lady's face,  
The pretty mask of a ruthless murderer.  
Beside these warriors you should be safe,  
So there's no real harm in accepting this invitation.

But you're not concerned with safety, are you?  
Excitement and intrigue are your heart's true desire.  
Good, evil, life, death, light, darkness, monster, or man,  
Whichever you were, whoever you are, and whatever you become,  
Does any of that truly matter once you've come to our world?  
Only you can find that answer.  
So hesitate no longer and let us know,  
Will you accept this invitation?

Cast aside your doubts.  
Take pleasure in the night.  
Expose your very core,  
And submerge it in the shadows.  
Relish in your curiosity.  
Savor the unknown.  
Here in our charming little world,  
Never again shall boredom stalk you.  
So allow me to ask you one last time,  
Though we both know how you'll respond.  
Please accept my invitation.  
Come…and embrace the dark!

* * *

I got the idea for this one-shot two days ago, and finished it just in time for Halloween. I haven't been able to work on my main project for a while now, and it'll be a while longer before I get the opportunity to dedicate the time, energy, and focus it requires. So why did I decide to go ahead and write this? The answer is simple. I felt like it.

I love the Darkstalkers franchise. I'm was never that crazy about fighting games in general, but when I think about it, it's quite possible that Darkstalkers itself might be to blame. True, I'm not that great at them to begin with, but there are plenty of games I suck at and still enjoy playing. So what sets Darkstalkers apart from other fighting games for me? Well…

You see, I was introduced to the series as a little kid in elementary school. It was late December, and I was on winter break. My family took a trip to a hotel called Kutchers, though where it was located I don't recall for certain. Anyway, I spent a fair amount of time in the arcade playing pinball, but there was another game that held my attention: Vampire Savior. It would be quite a while before I would hear the phrase "fighting game" for the first time, or become familiar with the idea of different video game types and genres. And don't even get me started on sexual implications and innuendo. I still miss those kinds of things on a regular basis.

But Vampire Savior stood out to me. It was clearly a shout out to classic monsters and myths, yet it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. Distinct character designs, a quirky cast, bizarre fighting styles, amazing visuals, and the atmosphere it all created. It was all so fascinating to me, and like another neglected Capcom franchise, left an impression on me that remains to this day. I had been given an invitation to the charm of darkness, and I had wholeheartedly accepted.

A few years later, in another arcade at a different hotel, I tried my hands what seemed like a similar game to me: Street Fighter 2. It held my interest a few afternoons, but even then, it didn't fascinate me the way Vampire Savior had. No 2D fighting game would for a long, long time. Sure, there'd be a 2D fighter every now and then that'd grab my interest by the horns, but only within the last few years have I truly begun to open up to other fighting game franchises.

And it's for these very reasons I am furious with how the Darkstalkers has been treated over the last few years. No brand new games in over a decade, and any time there's a rerelease, there's next to no advertising. And when the latest collection, Darkstalkers Resurrection, was VERY well received by fans and critics and was on various digital top ten bestseller lists, its ungrateful owners have the gall to call it a commercial failure. And while it pains me to admit this, on an objective level, the game did amazingly well under the circumstances, probably than it should have. Yes, Resurrection is a lot of fun to play, be it by yourself or with others, but at the most basic level, it's a simple collection with only two games that have been rereleased in the past, nothing that's truly revolutionary. And as someone who owns the PSP port, the Chaos Tower, I felt that as far as single player features and even extras go, Resurrection actually has less to offer. Though the trailers for it were great, not a lot of effort was put into getting the word out, for either them or the game itself. To be honest, Resurrection had many things riding against it.

But despite all this, it managed to earn a spot on several _bestseller_ lists, which unless I'm mistaken, implies that many copies of it were purchased. The only way I can see that being true is if it somehow cost an insane amount of money to port over a game that has ported to various consoles in the past and to _remove_ more features from it than to add brand new ones. So excuse me for being skeptical that it failed commercially. Broke even, I'd believe, but flop? There's greedy, and then there's stupid.

I know that I've written better things, but unlike Capcom of Japan, I know how to be realistic with my expectations. I went into this with one goal: to have fun writing a tribute to a relatively unknown franchise I'm fond. There's definitely room for improvement, and I'd love advice on how I can clean this up without taking its meaning. But I wanted to write something for Halloween for once, and I enjoyed myself in the process. If those who read this genuinely enjoyed themselves as well, then I succeeded in conveying my love for the series. And if on top of that, they can not only identify places that could be improved upon, but how to make this story even enjoyable, then this trick-or-treater will have made off marvelously this Halloween.

So with all that said, let me wish you all a Happy Halloween! Have fun, everyone!


End file.
